Chapter 162: By Order of Pope Selena—No Trial, Execute On The Spot!

Translation by: Weebsread👹

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Imperial Capital.

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Dawn should have brought quiet to the city, but today the Imperial Capital was alive with a restless, nervous energy.

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Every street and alley teemed with squads of Knights of Judgment, their presence justified by the official hunt for the fugitive Duke Ous.

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The capital, usually so composed and dignified, now churned with tension—like a tranquil lake shattered by a stone, panic and rumor rippling in every direction.

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As the knights marched by, their faces set and—if you looked closely—their eyes cold with a glint of killing intent, even the Empire’s most notorious Church critics fell silent. The bravest among them only grumbled about “ruined sleep” under their breath. No one dared do more.

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Instead, the city’s people watched the knights sweep past, whispering feverishly about the real reason for this citywide manhunt: Duke Ous.

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Just days before, news had spread like wildfire: Pope Selena herself had commanded the Church’s knights to arrest Duke Ous. The story had reached every corner of the Empire.

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Could it be true? The Pope—widely dismissed as weak and useless, the “Useless Pope” in both rumor and print—issuing such a decisive order?

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Unless there’d been some bloody purge within the Holy See, or the Pope had become a puppet, this was nothing like the feeble figure everyone imagined.

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“Hey, did you hear?” In a shadowed alley, a handful of neighbors huddled, voices hushed. “Duke Ous has been stirring up trouble for the Holy See for months, dragging his noble cronies into it. Except for that one time the ‘Useless Pope’ lost her temper and scolded him, the Church always seemed to swallow the loss.”

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“So you think this isn’t really about colluding with the Cult of the Evil God? Just the Pope settling a personal score? With her reputation, I doubt she’d dare something like this!”

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Two years of ineptitude had etched the Pope’s image deep into the public consciousness. Even those who’d never seen her in person had absorbed the narrative from the nobles’ newspapers—stories the Holy See’s own press never bothered to deny. That label had become her brand.

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If not for the Daily Reports, which detailed the Knights’ reasons for pursuing Duke Ous and praised Secretary Rennie, rumors would have spiraled out of control.

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So, the fact that people even questioned the official story was already a kind of mercy—a testament to how deeply the “Useless Pope” image had taken root.

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“Hard to say,” another man muttered. “Duke Ous is a top noble—why would he get involved with the Cult of the Evil God? He’s not after the throne, is he?”

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“No, I’m telling you, the Church just needs a scapegoat. There’s no way that Useless Pope has the brains or guts for this. Unless Duke Ous shows up in the capital reeking of the Evil God’s aura, I’m not buying it!”

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“Why not? Imperial nobles are rotten to the core...”

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Similar arguments echoed throughout the city. With the front lines holding steady and no major unrest, gossip about Church versus Empire was always the best fuel for tavern talk.

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And as the Knights of Judgment widened their search, the debates only grew more heated.

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The Imperial nobles, too, sprang into action—scrambling to find Duke Ous, if only to protect themselves. But with clergy from the Holy See present, no one dared stir up public outrage; for now, all they could do was wait and hope to spin things later.

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This uneasy balance held—until, suddenly—

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BOOM!

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A thunderous explosion of energy split the sky.

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A blazing pillar of light, so brilliant it seemed to pierce the heavens, crashed down upon a plaza at the heart of the capital, obliterating the square.

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The residents, already half-awake from the earlier commotion, stood transfixed by the spectacle: two figures locked in battle, their silhouettes nearly lost in the blinding light—yet unmistakable to every eye.

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Each thunderous clash reverberated through the city, and as the battle soared high above, the crowd gasped in disbelief.

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“Is that... Duke Ous?!”

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No one in the Empire could mistake that face—bloated, beady-eyed, draped in gaudy noble finery. Even those who’d never seen him in person had studied his portrait in the newspapers. Among the peerage, Duke Ous was infamous.

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But now, he looked monstrous—horrifically so.

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Waves of black miasma billowed from his body, some foul energy having utterly corrupted him. His face, his limbs—his entire form—were warped by grotesque decay.

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That sticky, inky darkness radiating from him—just the sight of it made the skin crawl.

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No ordinary magic could cleanse such filth. Only the purest Holy Light of the Holy See could hope to restrain it.

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“No way... Duke Ous was really working with the Cult of the Evil God?”

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“He’s covered in the Evil God’s energy! Just look at him!”

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The battle was on full display—no illusions, no concealment. In the people’s eyes, the once-untouchable Duke Ous was being pounded into the dirt by the righteous clergy, no different from any other Evil God Cultist.

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His bloated, rotting form was hammered from the sky, only to be seized again by the Holy See’s priests, wrapped in Holy Light, and battered anew with every Baptism of Holy Light.

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The fight raged from the city gates to the capital’s very core, the ground along the way left in utter ruin by the force of their clash.

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The sight of Duke Ous unleashing the Evil God’s power left the people shaken, but as they watched the relentless, bone-shattering blows rain down, a savage satisfaction welled up inside. The Holy See, for all the Pope’s supposed uselessness, still wielded true power. Even a figure like Duke Ous could be reduced to a battered wretch.

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“Get down—NOW!”

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As the battle reached the city’s bustling center, its end was in sight.

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BANG!

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A final, earth-shaking blow sent a blazing shockwave through the air, golden light flooding the dawn sky.

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The people were reminded, irresistibly, of that ancient Church creed: Alicia the Goddess forever watches over this land.

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“Uwah...!”

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Duke Ous, struck full force, crashed to the earth like a cannonball. The stone beneath him shattered, cracks spider-webbing from the point of impact. The Evil God’s energy clinging to him faded, now barely visible.

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Yet his grotesque, all-too-familiar face was exposed for all to see.

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“It really is Duke Ous... Imperial nobles really were colluding with the Cult of the Evil God?”

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“This isn’t just personal vengeance—the ‘Useless Pope’ actually exposed the traitor hiding among us!”

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“No wonder the war’s dragged on so long—it’s because of scum like him sabotaging everything!”

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Speculation ran wild, but for once, the mob had stumbled onto the truth.

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“Clear the area! Surround the site!”

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“All residents, fall back! Beware of contamination from the Evil God’s energy!”

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At once, squads of Knights of Judgment stormed in, sealing off the plaza. Vice Commander Guga held back the Empire’s own elites, buying Lin Wei time to finish the execution.

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The chaos subsided into a tense hush.

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Hovering above, Lin Wei finally revealed himself, radiant in a halo of Holy Light. His plain robes, illuminated by those golden eyes, lent him an aura both fearsome and divine.

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Suspended in the air, he looked down at the gathered crowd, conjured a blade of light, and amplified his voice with magic:

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“By command of the great Pope Selena, and pursuant to the Secret Investigation, it has been established that Duke Ous of the Empire is guilty of unforgivable crimes!

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First: Collusion with the Cult of the Evil God, betrayal of humanity, the attempted murder of Secretary Rennie, and conspiring with Evil God Cultists to ambush Commander Alfron—whose whereabouts remain unknown.

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Second: For the sake of personal wealth, he funneled resources to the Cult of the Evil God, and at the borderlands, conspired with demons to massacre innocent villagers. Only Pope Selena’s foresight and Commander Meilin’s timely intervention averted disaster.

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Third: In pursuit of greater power, he allied with demons to sabotage the Holy See’s logistics, repeatedly raiding supplies bound for the front lines, deliberately prolonging a war that should have ended long ago.”

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Some of these charges were true; others, Lin Wei had improvised on the spot.

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But with Duke Ous standing there, wreathed in the Evil God’s energy for all to see, not a soul doubted a word of it.

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“He did all that?”

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“Colluding with the Cult of the Evil God, sabotaging the war effort, slaughtering villagers—no wonder our taxes have been sky-high all these years! It was that fat pig’s doing!”

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No newspaper, no matter how fast, could match the power of this public spectacle. With the evidence plain for all to see, half the city was ready to riot.

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After a stunned silence, the crowd erupted—cursing, shouting, venting years of pent-up rage. Even the skeptics were swept up by the wave of public fury.

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From curses to shouts, to a fever pitch—soon, a hailstorm of objects flew at Duke Ous from every direction.

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If not for the Knights of Judgment restraining the mob, someone would have braved the Evil God’s aura just to kick him personally.

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Even so, the outcry reached a crescendo. One person shouted, then another, until the whole plaza was chanting in unison:

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“KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL DUKE OUS!”

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Perfect, Lin Wei thought. Just as planned.

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A glance showed Vice Commander Guga struggling to hold back the Empire’s nobles—reinforcements were closing in.

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No more time to waste. Lin Wei raised his hand, gathering searing holy energy.

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Before the eyes of all, the righteous blade of judgment took form—brighter, more terrifying than ever.

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He let the people’s cries fuel his own declaration:

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“The evidence is irrefutable. Duke Ous has attacked clergy of the Holy See and attempted to flee—he cannot deny his crimes!

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Therefore... in strict accordance with the personal command of Pope Selena—”

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The blade of retribution swelled, a symbol of light and justice, wielded only by the most exalted priests of the Holy See.

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Even the most cynical citizen, witnessing this, felt a surge of faith in justice.

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“STOP!!”

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Below, the Empire’s nobles had finally arrived. One, recognizing the execution about to unfold, screamed in protest.

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Lin Wei looked down, met his eyes, and pronounced the final sentence—voice cold and absolute:

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“Duke Ous requires no trial!

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Execution—on the spot!”

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BOOM!

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The holy blade swept down in a perfect arc, smashing into the earth and erasing Duke Ous beneath a storm of divine energy.

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“Well done, Holy See!!”

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“Pope Selena is decisive after all!”

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“Stop? Ha! The Empire’s nobles are all in league together!”

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The crowd, their fury now spent, burst into applause and cheers. The noble’s protest drowned beneath a wave of mocking laughter.

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“And furthermore—per the investigation of Pope Selena: Though the war has gone well, the heavy taxes on the people have not been eased.

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Her Holiness has decided, with Duke Ous removed, to personally negotiate with the Empire for comprehensive tax reductions, ensuring that no official can line their pockets at the people’s expense!”

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Execution of Duke Ous, and now a promise of tax relief—two thunderbolts in succession.

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The news swept through the crowd like wildfire, and the applause turned to thunderous chants: “Long live the great Pope Selena!”

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Pleased with how smoothly the plan had unfolded, Lin Wei descended to where Duke Ous’s corpse lay.

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There, he found the Empire’s nobles, their faces dark with rage and fear.

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He raised a hand, conjured fire, and incinerated the corpse—then, as if only now noticing the newcomer, called out:

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“You... I remember you from before. Montodon, wasn’t it?”

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“Sorry, it was so noisy I couldn’t hear you earlier. You’re here to deliver the High Council’s order to execute Duke Ous, right?”